Don't miss the next drop
In our years of handling vintage watches, we’ve learned one thing: always expect the unexpected. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a watch like this Gruen Precision comes along and completely captivates you with its sheer novelty and charm. This isn’t just a handsome mid-century watch; it’s a fascinating and incredibly rare piece featuring a complication that is as quirky as it is wildly cool.
Gruen has a rich history of innovative design, but by the late 1960s and early 1970s, the brand, like much of the industry, was experimenting to stay ahead of the curve. This led to some truly funky and creative designs, and this watch is a prime example. While most Gruen production was Swiss-centric, this piece is marked “Made in France” on its case back, pointing to a fascinating and less-documented period of European production. At its heart beats a robust, 17-jewel manual-winding movement from the Gruen 510 caliber family, a reliable engine for a truly unconventional watch.
The real story here, and what makes this watch so special, is its incredible dial. At first glance, it’s a beautiful, classic silver sunburst dial with sharp dauphine hands. But look closer at the hour markers. These are not simple applied indices. They are, in fact, mechanical “Day/Night” or “Jump Hour” markers. It’s a wonderfully obscure complication where the markers are actually rotating discs that “jump” or flip over. During the day, they present as the vibrant, almost electric green you see here. Then, as the hour hand passes, they would theoretically flip to a different color (often black or white) for the night hours. While the “jump” function on this example is no longer active, the visual effect of the brilliant green markers is absolutely stunning and unlike anything else we’ve seen. The “Ra Swiss Ra” designation at 6 o’clock indicates the use of Radium for the luminous material, placing the watch firmly in the pre-1968 era.
